Currently rolls of photographic film and paper are packaged in several different ways to facilitate room light loading into cooperating apparatus which dispenses or otherwise uses the film or paper. Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,395 discloses a package which includes a pair of flexible opaque end disks or covers attached to the ends of the core of the roll and an opaque leader attached to the leading end of the length of film or paper forming the roll. A peripheral portion on each end disk is folded over and adhered to the edge of an underlying convolution of the leader. A layer of adhesive is provided on the peripheral lip. When the leader is pulled away from the packaged roll, the end disks tear circumferentially at the edge of the roll; so that, the peripheral portions remain adhered to the leader. However, the tearing of the end disk can result in the generation of dust and fibers which can contaminate the product. In addition, the tearing of the end disks does not always proceed neatly along the circumferential edge of the roll; so that, ragged edges sometimes are formed which can interfere with proper dispensing of the product from the package.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,171 discloses a package which includes a pair of similar end disks and a leader. After a first convolution of the leader is wrapped onto the roll, peripheral portions of the end disks are folded over the first convolution. A second convolution is then wrapped onto the roll to capture the folded-over peripheral portions between the first and second convolutions. Friction is relied upon to retain the folded-over portions between the convolutions of leader and no adhesive is used. However, the frictional engagement between the folded-over portions and the convolutions of the leader occasionally is not sufficient to prevent the folded-over portions from slipping at least partially free, thereby permitting entry of light and causing damage to the product. Moreover, after the leader is pulled from the package, the relatively stiff end disks sometimes tend to catch on the product being dispensed or on the cooperating cassette or apparatus, leading to increased pull forces, jamming of equipment and potential loss of quality of the ultimate photographic image.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,690 discloses an apparatus for wrapping large rolls of paper in which a double-sided tape is used to hold folded-over peripheral portions of end disks onto the outer convolution of the roll. Since the tape adheres equally to the end disks and the outer convolution, the end disks would tend to tear upon unwinding the roll, with the disadvantages mentioned in the previous paragraph.